Upcycle old candleholders into DIY rattan inspired votives!
After my DIY rattan inspired lampshade project, I had so many wooden dowels left over. I wasn’t sure what to do with them until I came across this candle votive. It has such a lovely gold celestial pattern inside, but the outside needed a bit of a refresh. I hadn’t seen anyone else do something like this, however I thought it could work well and so I decided to give it a go. This project was so quick and easy, it really took no time at all. I think the most difficult part was trimming the dowels down to size but once I got into the swing of it that moved pretty quickly too. It goes perfectly in my office / guest room with my DIY rattan inspired lampshade, and I’m enjoying the natural earthy colours against the otherwise quite minimal and monochromatic decor. Keep reading to find out what I used and how I did it…
Old candle votive
Hot glue gun
1.
First of all, make sure your votive is nice and clean. Next, grab your dowels and measure the length they need to be trimmed to.
2.
Using scissors or a craft knife, trim your dowels to size.
3.
Heat up your hot glue gun and run a vertical line down the side of the votive. This dries quickly, so add your trimmed dowel on top of this pretty swiftly.
4.
Add another line of glue right next to the dowel already stuck on and add another trimmed dowel as close to this as you can. Repeat this all the way around your votive until it’s completely covered.
5.
Use some sandpaper to smooth off the top of your dowels before adding a candle.
